Path of a Shadow
by The 666th necrophiliac
Summary: FF6. A cult of fanatics wish to finish what Kefka started by reviving magic and using its power to destroy everything. A chain of events puts Shadow in the position of a hero, a position he never wanted. Shadow/Terra, Edgar/everyone
1. Prologue

_**Prologue **_

_**A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to my first ever final fantasy six story. This is a rather unusual pairing, I know, but I think I'll be able to get it to work. Anyway, without further ado, let's get into it. Final fantasy six belongs to Square Enix. The only thing I own is this stories plot and any OCs that may be used. Thank you to my Beta reader Morbid333**_

_**Arc one.**_

_**Prologue arc.**_

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Five years had passed. It had been five years since Kefka's defeat. It had been five years since the infamous assassin Shadow had been found half dead within the debris of Kefka's tower. It had been five years since magic had disappeared. It had also been five years since he had seen any of those thirteen people he had fought along side with.

Locke Cole, the self-proclaimed 'treasure-hunter.' His location had eluded Shadow; but that would only be because he didn't care enough to keep track of him. He did receive a rather annoying letter a few years back though. It was a wedding invitation sent by Edgar, the king of Figaro. It only took Shadow a few seconds to rip it to pieces and wonder just how much of a fool the young king must have been to even waste his time to send a courier pidgin to him.

Edgar Roni Figaro, the king of Figaro and world renowned womanizer. After Kefka's death, the man returned to rule his kingdom. The only time Shadow bothered to think about the man was when he wondered how the king was able to locate him.

Sabin Rene Figaro, the muscle-bound monk, once referred to as a 'bear.' Sabin returned to Figaro castle, where he now trained many youth in the art of unarmed combat. Like many who fought along-side him, this man did not interest Shadow.

Cyan Garamonde, the chivalrous Samurai, as well as the soul survivor of the Doma kingdom. After Kefka's defeat, Cyan returned to his home in Doma. Doma was a home without its people. Throughout the world, there where many without homes. Once you put two and two together, then the answer is simple. By accepting those whose towns were significantly damaged into his home, Cyan had created the new kingdom of Doma.

Gau, the boy who was abandoned by his father and raised by animals. He was now a well-known traveler, travelling from the furthest reaches of the globe. Quite often he would drop in and see his friends; he even called in on Shadow once.

Celes Chere, the former Gesthal Empire's general, infused with magic at a young age. Now, the once great general has hung up her weapon and has married a petty thief. Just like her husband, Shadow didn't know where she was, nor did he care.

Setzer Gabbiani, the lucky gambler. Now, he done what he had done before he joined the Returners, and what he would do most likely do for the rest of his life, he flew from town to town, and he gambled.

Strago Magus, an elderly descendant of the Mage warriors. After Kefka's fall, Strago returned to Thamasa to take care of his granddaughter, Relm Arrowny. His life would have most likely been peaceful over the past five years.

Relm Arrowny, now sixteen years of age and an artist, as well as the daughter of Shadow. Shadow would go to the house every once in awhile, just to see her. Even though he told himself to leave her, for some reason, he could not. For some reason, he could not abandon her once again.

Mog, a moogle taught the language of humans by the Esper Ramuh. Most likely, Mog returned to the caves of Narshe to be with the rest of his Moogle family. He could easily be anywhere else though, who knows, Shadow never really cared about the Moogle.

Umaro, the yeti which once resided within the caves of Narshe, and also a good friend to Mog. Undoubtedly, Umaro would have most likely returned to the caves of Narshe. Again, Shadow really didn't care.

Gogo…Shadow knew nothing about him, nor did he care anything about him.

Terra, once half Esper, half human. She was the only one of the group that intrigued Shadow. She possessed extraordinary power. Yet, somehow he felt that she despised it. Perhaps she wanted nothing more then to live a peaceful life. So many would have done anything for such power, but the one person who possessed was probably the only person who did not want it.

Shadow, the cold hearted ninja in black. After Kefka's defeat, he remained on the crumbling tower. He awoke again three months later, and that was the last time he saw any of those he fought alongside again. Now, he travels alongside his dog, Interceptor, working as a freelance assassin. He would take any job, not just one to kill a target. He wanders about the world, ignorant to what fate has in store for him.

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_**A/N: That is it for now. Hopefully, there well be more soon. See you then. Please review.**_


	2. Thieving scum

_**Prologue arc**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Thieving scum**_

_**A/N: Happy Guy Fawkes Day. Do you people still remember that? Anyway, thanks to Shadow's Interceptor for the review. Thank you to my Beta-reader morbid333. Here is the next chapter. Sorry for the late update, I was working on a one-shot for Halloween. I will try to update every week from now on, or at least every second week (Excluding holidays, Christmas for example.) Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy six and all its characters belong to Square Enix.**_

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Silent is the land that he treads upon. Grey is the sky, which lurks above his head. Cold are his eyes, as he looks forward, nothing before him, and nothing behind. His canine companion is the only other figure for a long distance. Calloused were his hands, and his garments were stained with dry blood.

Baron wasteland was all that stretched on before Shadow's eyes. Two feet and four paws pattered against the dead soil underneath. There was not a smell in the air, only the wind blowing violently against the two. There was not a taste in his mouth. Hunger was growing rapidly within him. He had not eaten for at least three days.

Shadow looked up into the sky, and he noticed that the sun was setting. He looked down to his companion. If Interceptor were tired, then they would rest. If not, then they would continue on their way until the sky went from orange to completely black. Interceptor merely let out a small whine.

'I know,' Shadow replied, referring to the figure that had been following them for a few hours. Shadow took a seat on a nearby rock. Probably another bandit wishing to take what few possessions he had on his person. He would deal with them when they revealed themselves.

Therefore, Shadow and Interceptor rested where they fell. They used rocks as beds. They were not exactly comfortable, but amazingly, they were more so than they would have been, had they rested upon the baron and rocky ground.

The sun set fully. Then, only when they were sure that the ninja and dog were asleep, a figure moved in. The bandit was quiet in stepping over the many rocks, as not to wake either up. They were dressed in black, from a mask to their shoes. This made it easy for them to move in the night unseen by their unsuspecting victims. Slowly, they approached Shadow, and quickly saw a small pouch of money at his hip. The bandit took in a deep breath before reaching out her hand. She was slow and quiet, even though she was certain that the man was asleep.

She was wrong.

Shadow sprung up from his would-be bed, a blade drawn and slashed at the bandits arm. The bandit let out a surprisingly high-pitched scream of agony as their hand detached from the rest of their arm. Blood splashed onto Shadow's torso. He raised his blade as he approached the bandit. He knelt down to her, and he grabbed her mask, and ripped it from her face. Since the scream, he was not surprised at what he saw. It was a woman under the mask, agony over her features. She had piercing blue eyes, which were the colour of the ocean on a clear day. Her fair, blonde hair was rather short; it stopped shortly before the end of her neck. Her skin was exceptionally pale, white as the moon. Her pink checks stood out above all else, they looked like roses in a way.

Many would have strayed from their course of action. Shadow did not. He took his blade, Sword breaker, and put it at her throat.

'Please…Help,' she begged through her whimpers.

'First she tries to rob me, and then she begs for my help. Stupid girl,' Shadow thought as he began to push down, breaking the skin.

'I-I can pay you,' she said.

'And I could not take it from your cadaver?' asked Shadow, giving the girl a chance to beg for her life, something he had given very few.

'I d-don't have it with me, I-it is with my village,' She stated, ''I-I only attacked you because…because my people are victim to a horrid man, and we need the funds to request assistance from the many blades for hire that so often roam the land.'

'How much,' Shadow simply asked.

'A f-few thousand,' weakly answered the girl.

Likely a pathetic price, but it was better than nothing was. Shadow was completely broke right now, so this was exactly what he needed.

'If the price is what you say it is, I will deal with him,' said Shadow as he picked up the discarded mask and tied it around the girl's wound, as to prevent more loss of blood.'

'You? No, he will rip you apart, he would!'

It appeared that she needed to be persuaded of his worth. Then perhaps his luck was beginning to change, for out of the corner of his eye, Shadow could see a wolf-like creature approaching. It was hairless, with drool dripping from its mouth. The creature was most likely attracted by the blood.

The beast ran at Shadow, who stepped aside. It then jumped at him, but he stepped back. The beast let out a ferocious raw, which did not help it in its current predicament. The beast jumped forward again, but Shadow slashed at the beast's throat, and it fell to the ground. Blood pumped from its wound.

The girl sat there in awe at the display of ability. It took the greatest of hunters at her village over ten minutes to dispose of one of those creatures, and there were often casualties.

'I was wrong. You may be what we need after all. Please, come with me to my village,' requested the girl.

'I'll need half of the pay in advance, you do know,' Shadow stated as Interceptor approached and stretched out beside him.

'Yes. My name is Leanne by the way, what is yours?'

'…Shadow.'

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_**A/N: It was quite short, I fear. I usually try to aim for between 1000-2000 words a chapter for this story. In addition, I felt that this was a good place to end the chapter. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and give me your opinion so far.**_


	3. Weak arrogance

_**Prologue arc**_

_**Chapter three**_

_**Weak arrogance**_

_**A/N: Hello everyone, merry Christmas! I was hopping off the walls to get this chapter up a long time ago, but then decided to put it up on Christmas Eve. It is Christmas Eve here in New Zealand. The next chapter will be in the New Year. Thank you Shadow's Interceptor for the review, and thanks to my beta-reader morbid333. Now, let us get to it. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Final fantasy six and everything that goes with it belongs to square Enix. Plot and OCs belong to me.**_

_**

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**_

'We're here,' Leanne weakly said as her, Shadow, and Interceptor entered the village, if you could really call it that.

Shadow could see that the buildings were significantly damaged. The small village obviously did not have the funds to maintain them. As he looked from face to face, he saw that most people were covered in dirt, showing poor hygiene. Their clothes were torn and tattered. On every corner, Shadow saw a girl or woman all aged from thirteen-to-fifty, their red and black attire displaying their profession. In the short time he had been there, Shadow had seen a couple of middle-aged men each approach one of the younger girls. They usually spoke for a while before walking down an alleyway. The pungent stench of the town was ghastly. The smell of the many that had gone without bathing for who-knows-how-long all mixed. The few public outhouses reeked of the foul stench of one-million excretions. Many were coughing, others sniffing. Young girls screamed. The sound of someone being inadequately beaten could not be denied, most likely a poor mugging attempt.

'I know it doesn't seem like much, but it is my home,' Leanne said.

Shadow did not acknowledge her statement. All he did was continue to examine the village uninterrupted. At least, that was until something ran into him. Shadow simply looked down upon a small child as he stumbled back.

'So'iy sir!' apologised the boy as he quickly made for the gap between Shadow and Leanne, but before he could get away, Shadow grabbed him by the throat and pulled him up to face level. This made the terrified child drop all that he had just stolen, a shuriken and a couple of kunai. Once this was done, Shadow through the boy a meter away. The young child quickly got up and rushed away from the black clad ninja via the nearby alleyway. This caused quite a commotion, resulting in the sound of a small form being badly beaten. Next, a middle-aged man threw the child out of the alley, neglecting to pull his pants up from his relations with one of the young prostitutes, his manhood standing straight in front of himself. The man quickly returned to his alley as the boy got up and fled both men who had thrown him to the ground. During this time, Shadow re-collected his possessions.

'Come on. My fathers the chief, he will want to see you,' Leanne said as she lead Shadow down a path. As they travelled, he saw even more of the broken village and its people. So many were homeless, most likely because their homes were too badly damaged to return to them.

'Here,' said Leanne as she stopped before a small shack.

'You live here?' Shadow questioned. Leanne nodded, 'even the village leader lives in such poor conditions?' Shadow thought.

The two entered the shack, and as they did, an elderly man turned to them, and was awestruck as he looked upon Leanne.

'Leanne, your hand, what happened?' The man turned to Shadow, fury upon his face, 'Are you the one who hurt my daughter!'

The man threw himself towards Shadow, but he sidestepped out of the way. This caused the man to stumble and fall on his face. Interceptor enjoyed this very much, as his tail waged side to side.

'Father!' Leanne quickly rushed forward and helped the elderly man back onto his feet, 'father, he is here to help us.'

'Help us? But what about your hand?'

'It is only a small price to pay for the liberation of our people,' Leanne stated. At that very moment, the door swung open once again, and a frantic looking man rushed into the room.

'They are here!'

'Already?' exclaimed the leader of the village.

Shadow and Interceptor both simply made their way outside and awaited for 'them' to arrive. In the distance, Shadow could see a small group approaching. A dozen men, all wielding blunt instruments. As they closed in, confused looks appeared on each of their faces.

''ere, what's all this then?' asked one of the men.

'Out of the way!' shouted one of the others.

'Aye, I think this one is retarded,' again, Shadow did not react to this.

'Listen, I am going to say this slowly ya impeded bastard. Get…out…of…our…way…' said another of the thugs rather condescendingly.

Finally, it was time to end this. Shadow charged forwards, and knocked two of the men off their balance. As this happened, Shadow pulled out his blade, Striker, and slashed one of the men's necks. Blood spilt from the wound, forcing the man's companions to look at him with horror, then with rage.

'You son of a bitch!' one of the men shouted as he charged at Shadow, but the assassin pulled out a kunai, and lunged it at the man's throat. He stopped dead in his tracks as the weapon entered him, and he fell to his back. The others surrounded Shadow, but he pulled his other blade out, and with lightning speed began slicing through the crowd like a knife through bread. Even the blood was not fast enough to stain his clothes. Such speed that could come only from years of practice was witnessed by the towns people, who had rushed to shelter shortly before the fight cold begin. Their numbers, now dwindled, were infuriated as they mindlessly struck at the ninja, but he made short work of them to the point that only a few remained.

'This isn't over!' One of the survivors said as he and his comrades jumped to their feet and fled the town. Shadow sheathed his blades and drew a few shuriken, took aim, and flung them, all hitting. This left only one of the men, who was now franticly running. The town cheered as both Shadow, and Interceptor returned to the shack. Shadow knew there was a lot of work to be done, such as preparing defences for when more of the fools would inevitably come running and seeking vengeance.

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_**A/N: Next chapter will be up sometime in the New Year. Merry Christmas. As the arc goes on, the chapters will get longer. Please review.**_


	4. Cleaning up the filth

_**Prologue arc**_

_**Chapter four**_

_**Cleaning up the filth**_

_**A/N: Well February the third is my birthday, so I thought I would update this in celebration. I just got my exam results back, and I passed all my papers. Recently, I started a live journal account, so if you want to then you can find the link on my profile. Thank you to Shadow's Interceptor for the review, and thank you to my Beta reader morbid333. Enjoy the next chapter.**_

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The night sky had long since creped over the village, and all its occupants had returned to their homes. Even those without such things had retired to various alleyways, leaving Shadow and Interceptor to be on their own.

'Shadow?' The ninja did not bother to turn and acknowledge the individual, for he knew from the voice that it was Leanne, 'why do you not retire? If the scum return, then would it not be best that you be at full strength?'

'And if they come in the night?' Shadow simply replied. Leanne did not answer.

'Then let me wait with you,' Leanne finally said after an extensive period of silence.

'No.'

'Why not?'

'You will get in my way,' Shadow monotonously replied.

'It is my home damn it! If I want to protect it, then you can't stop me!' Leanne shouted, causing Interceptor to growl defensively at the woman.

'If you want to help your home, then stay out of my way.'

'Fine!' Leanne mumbled as she turned around, and returned to her home.

'Foolish girl.'

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The sun rose slowly over the baron land, as did Shadow's eyelids.

'_I fell asleep? When_,' Shadow's thoughts were ceased suddenly as he heard Interceptor's barks. As he sat up, he ran his hand through the dog's coat. It was then that he noticed just _how_ the dog was barking. Interceptor was barking off into the horizon, which usually meant one thing. The enemy was drawing near. Shadow quickly jumped to his feet, drawing Striker and Stunner as he did, '_We shall wait._'

Still as a statue, Shadow waited. Interceptor's barks became much greater in volume, and sure enough, the enemy approached, this time in much more vast numbers.

'You there!' One of the thugs cried out, 'you must be the one who attacked our guys yesterday, am I right?' Shadow did not respond, 'I will take that as a yes,' the thug said as he turned to his men, 'Kill him, and bring me his head!'

The thugs shouted loudly as the first wave charged forward. Shadow lunged Stunner towards a dead tree, cutting a wire attached to it. A blade soared towards the thugs, decapitating the first wave in its entirety. The leader of the group slammed his palm to his forehead, 'next!'

'Right boss!' the next wave of thugs charged forward. Shadow pulled free a kunai, and threw it at one of the thugs. The weapon embedded its way into one of the thugs head, dropping his corpse to the ground.

'Your dead you bastard!' A thug welding a club lunged forward, but Shadow took to the air and kicked him in the head, sending him stumbling to the ground. Before the man hit the baron soil, Striker entered his chest. He screamed in pain as Shadow removed the blade and rushed forward. The ninja slit another of the thugs' throats, before jumping to the dead tree, and pulling Stunner free. As the thugs charged forward, the ninja jumped at them. Stunner embedded its way into a throat, as Stalker did to that of another. Both blades left and found their way to another thug each. Shadow continued to jump between the men, killing them in single strikes.

'He is but one! Kill him!' the leader screeched at his remaining men, causing them to rush into the blood frenzy.

Shadow jumped high into the air, evading the swing of a sword as he did. He threw Striker and Stunner down, both blades piercing a head each. The ninja reached to his sides, and pulled out several shuriken, and threw them, striking down the thugs in the centre of the cluster. He landed, and pulled free his two blades. Quickly, he ducked, and a spear passed by his head. He jumped up, and in a spinning motion, slit the throat of the spearman, and of another thug who was rushing towards him. Shadow turned, and caught a glimpse of the last thug other then the leader.

'You bastard!' he shouted as he charged forward, dagger in hand, but was quickly silenced as Interceptor jumped up and grabbed the man's throat in his jaw, bringing him down. By the time he let go, blood had coated the fur of Interceptors face and nose.

'You shall pay,' The last of the thugs growled as he drew his weapon, a Katana, 'My name is Ulric, and I shall be your end!' the thug charged forward, and thrust his blade towards Shadow, but the ninja jumped up past the blade, and slammed his foot into Ulric's head, causing the name to stumble backwards. Shadow threw Stunner, but Ulric quickly moved his head out of the way, causing the weapon to impale the dead tree. The ninja drew another blade, this time Man-eater.

Ulric charged forward, but suddenly stopped as Shadow slashes at him. The thug evaded Man-eater, but was deeply cut by Striker.

'You little piece of…' Ulric trailed of as he held his wound tight.

Shadow lunged Striker towards the man. Ulric screeched loudly as the blade entered him, after which Shadow jumped forward and slammed his foot into his face, breaking his nose. Ulric staggered back onto her feet, and blindly slashed his Katana around. Shadow was growing weary of this, and so he charged forward, ducking under the Katana, and slashed his wrist, bringing it off. Ulric screamed in agony as he fell on his back. Shadow grabbed Striker, and pulled it free of Ulric's muscle.

'I let you live only to deliver a message,' Shadow said, 'Inform your owner that if he or his men step into this town again, then I shall do upon him what I did to you tenfold.

'I…I understand. Just don't harm me!'

'Go now. Or I will kill as I killed them.' Shadow stood up and turned away from Ulric, giving him the chance to jump onto his feet and flee. Shadow could hear cheering coming from the homes of the townspeople, but he honestly couldn't care less. As long as he got his payment, they could drop dead. The truth is, this would not keep them at bay for long, they would return, and they would destroy this town.

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'So, he shall do this upon me tenfold,' laughed Akihiko Shitamura as his men held Ulric down.

'Please sir, I am wounded. I need medical attention,' Ulric pleaded.

Akihiko's face contorted in rage, 'You dare ask for assistance after such a failure. Remove this filth from my sight!'

'Please! Have mercy!' Ulric screeched as the men holding him down dragged him out of the room. His screams were soon silenced, and the men returned to the cold, dark room made of stone. An eerie breeze constantly passing through.

'What should we do sir?'

'Why should we do anything?' Akihiko asked.

'But the black phantom?'

'Is but a man. A mercenary who shall be gone within time,' Akihiko stated.

'And then?'

'The chief's daughter Leanne is the only one foolish enough to hire someone to stand against us. Bring her to me, and I shall make an example of her.''

'But what if the black phantom comes after us?'

'Let him come! If he shall come, then I shall have my vengeance,' Akihiko stated.

'You know of this black phantom?'

'But of course. I could never forget the bastard who assisted in the death of master Kefka,' Akihiko growled, 'But before we do anything, my pets are hungry,' the thug quickly turned around as he heard growls behind him.

'No sir! Please!' but his begs went unheeded as the wolf-like beasts jumped at him, and began their feeding.

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_**A/N: There is that chapter. Our next chapter well be twice as long. I hope that this was enjoyable. The arc is concluding next time.**_


	5. Remnant

_**Remnant**_

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Prologue arc**_

_**A/N: Here is the final chapter of the arc. Thank you Shadow's Interceptor for the review, and to my beta reader morbid333. Final fantasy six belongs to square Enix. Sorry for the dely. A lot came up, one of which was I finding a story called Terra's Shadow, an excellent fic that was once on this site. If anyone wants a look at it, then I will be more than happy to send you a word document with all the chapters in it to you or five WebPages if you would prefer that.**_

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Zozo. A town where all citizens were scum… just like him. Shadow sat alone, away from the rest of the patrons. Only Interceptor was willing to stay near him. This was what he preferred. This was how it was ever since… He quickly raised the glass to his unmasked lips, allowing the bitter, light brown liquid to pour into his mouth and down his throat. Obviously, he needed a few more glasses if his thoughts were still able to turn to _then._

The pub was polluted with the shouts and screams of thief's. Cut throats. Rapists. Harlots. Assassins. Everything that personified the epitome of humanity. Whatever forms of 'innocents' that dared walk through the doors were quickly devoured by the darkness that lurked within the compounds of these four decrepit walls. He had come here before. Many would-be assassins thought they had what it took to take his title, and all of them faced the same end. Dead. Their blood pumped from their bodies and onto the floor.

They were all the same as him. No better. No worse. There was always a fight. Never subsiding or ceasing. Whenever someone entered, the chances were that they would be drawn into it. This was the place where the death of a man named Clyde was completed. Where Shadow was born. Again, Shadow raised the glass to his lips, this time finishing the entirety of the glass. For a few seconds now, the drunken roars of the patrons were different. Joyful. Lustful. Mocking. He had little else to do, so he might as well see what the cause of the change was. He pulled his mask back up over his mouth, before turning his head to the commotion. He was ever so slightly surprised at what he saw. He had not paid much mind to this woman, though he had seen her before. It was the girl Leanne's mother.

'Let me go!' the woman demanded. She was answered by thunderous laughter by those harassing her. He should have left her, but the obnoxious laughter was starting to drill into his skull. He hadn't drunk enough to get intoxicated, but enough for his tolerance to drop. If they didn't shut up, someone's throat would be cut. Honestly, he couldn't bother exerting the effort that it took to kill the worthless worms. He stood to his feet and approached the crowd.

'Leave her,' he calmly ordered.

'Or what?' One of the men, clearly the leader, spat as he spun around. His arrogant smirk soon faded at the sight of the assassin, and was soon replaced by a look of horror. He stumbled back, before making as much distance between the two as possible. The rest of the crowd did the same, many mumbled whispers of fear.

'It _is _you,' The woman stated, drawing the Ninja's attention, 'Please, we need your help. Leanne's been kidnapped! It was him. Akihiko, The leader of those bastards. I will gladly give you everything I own if you return her to me.'

'You already have,' Shadow replied.

'I will make the money! Just return her to me!' She pleaded.

He was silent. Should he bother? Was it truly worth it? Money _was _money. To hell with it, he might as well. 'Fine. He lives in the building beyond the village, correct?'

'Yes,' she quickly answered.

Without a response, Shadow made for the door, exiting swiftly. 'Come!' as soon as he heard his master, Interceptor jumped to his feet and made for the door.

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Night had completely shrouded the land as Shadow made the trip between Zozo and back to the village. He passed through without so much as glancing at the inhabitants. As he passed through the town's back gate, he began to ascend the rough terrain that rose to be a steep hill. It stretched onwards for several minutes, and as he continued on his path, the harsh wind battered against his masked face. Even though he was masked, Shadow could still make out the pungent and familiar stench. Blood. A lot of it. It brought back memories of all he had killed over the years. What was it? Hundreds? Thousands? He couldn't recall such a trivial fact. Finally, the terrain smoothed out, and the two came to a stop. Shadow looked with little interest at the enormous mansion before him. Interceptor lifted his nose into the air, and let loose a threatening growl.

'Come.' Shadow ordered as the two made their way towards the house. The assassin scaled the wall, and took to the roof. The only possible entrance he could see was a glass panel. He wasted no time in examining it. No guards lay below. He rose his foot and slammed it down on the glass, shattering it before hastily falling back. He waited awhile. Still no guards. He looked back down to his partner and sent him a hand sign, which meant 'wait.' There was something uneasy about this, and as such, he needed to go in alone. The assassin jumped down into the mansion.

As soon as he was in, he took in his surroundings. This looked to be a dining room, and there was only one way out. Shadow approached the large brown doors, and pushed them open. The action soon revealed an enormous hallway. Doors were placed all over the walls, and to the north lay a large staircase, one that spiralled around to the next floor. He ascended them making his way towards the door above. He came to a halt, putting his ear to the door. He heard a strange growling coming from the room. He reached for the door handle, and quietly opened it, peeking into the room as he did. Inside, there lay at least a dozen corpses. Their bodies were ripped apart, and their blood spilled about the room. Most notably though was the beast in the middle. It was the same species as the creature Shadow killed before travelling to the village.

The beast, which was currently feeding on one of the corpses, stopped as it raised its head in the air, obviously noticing the new scent. It spun around, but was soon rewarded by a kunai to the throat.

'You've returned? But for what purpose?' Shadow quickly spun around, and was met by the glance of a dark-haired man.

'You're Akihiko?' Shadow asked.

'Why yes I am,' Was the man's casual response.

'Where's the girl?' he asked.

'Can't you tell? She's over there,' Akihiko answered as he pointed to one of the bodies. Shadow didn't need to see where he was pointing, as the image was still fresh within his mind. One of the corpses had been ripped beyond recognition. This was clearly Leanne. That meant that there was no reason for him to remain. He would leave but first, he would kill this man. There was something unsettling about him. 'Your death will be much more satisfying than that of hers.' Akihiko stated as he pulled free a whip from his side and snapped it in the air. Shadow reached for his blades and began to draw them, 'you shall pay for what you did to master Kefka.'

Shadow suddenly froze. Master Kefka? Now that he examined the man's clothing, he began to recognise the green and white robe that this man wore. Yes, it must be, it was unambiguous, and Shadow was sure that no one else wore the same robe. The members of the cult of Kefka wore the same robe.

'Die you scum!' with a flick of his wrist, the whip hurled at Shadow. The assassin jumped back to safety before fully drawing his blades. He threw one forward with precision and speed, though Akihiko evaded it, but was unaware as Shadow charged forward, readying his weapon to kill. As he brought it down though, an enormous weight pushed him to the floor. Shadow found himself face-to-face with another of the beasts, and its fangs were ready to kill. Shadow acted quickly, delivering a strike from his knee to the beast's gut. It growled in pain as it was forced off the assassin's body. Taking the opportunity, Shadow slid away, before kicking with both feet, sending his prey into the air. He jumped to the air, before pulling loose a kunai and hurling it. The weapon struck it in the throat before it dropped to the ground, whining and gurgling in defeat.

'How dare you harm my beloved pets!' Akihiko exclaimed before letting loose a whistle. Instantly, more of the animals emerged from the depths of the mansion.

Killing the beasts was clearly a fruitless task. For all Shadow knew, there could be hundreds of the putrid creatures in the house. He needed to kill their master first.

'Kill!' Akihiko ordered. One of the monsters lunged forward. However, a dark entity brought it to the ground. It was Interceptor! He had clearly heard the commotion, and now he had the beast by the throat. Blood fell to the ground as his fangs penetrated its jugular. Shadow, though he hid it well, was glad. His partner was more than capable of taking out the creatures, despite his age of seventeen years (1)

Shadow spun his blade around in a ninety-degree angle and charged at Akihiko. He stabbed down at him, but he evaded the blade by jumping back. The black-clad assassin returned his blade to its original position before charging at full speed towards the robed man, who flicked his whip at his attacker, but to no avail. Just before entering striking distance, Shadow took to the air. Quickly, he readied a shuriken, and threw it at Akihiko, however he shifted his body, causing the weapon to strike him in the shoulder of the unarmed appendage. He howled in pain as Shadow landed behind him. The assassin spun around and charged forward, however Akihiko spun around and slapped him away in the face with his whip.

'Did you think I would die like my foolish henchmen? No, I won't go down so easily.'

Shadow jumped back to his feet, before pulling free another shuriken and tossing it at his targets head. He evaded it, though it did manage to cut his cheek.

'Again, I won't-' Akihiko began, but suddenly let out a scream of agony as a dozen shuriken struck his chest. He suddenly dropped his weapon as he fell to his knees. Shadow wasted no time as he rushed behind him, pulled him up roughly by the hair, and positioned his blade at his throat, 'no wait! W-we can make a deal!' Without hesitation, he applied pressure and cut, splitting the throat and jugular in two. Blood spilled profusely from his throat as he fell to the ground. Only one thing remained now. He quickly helped Interceptor finish off all of the remaining beasts. With that done, he waited as the sound of Akihiko's gurgles as the saliva gathered in the back of his throat ceased before making his way back down to the village.

* * *

Leanne's mother's heart nearly stopped as Shadow and Interceptor returned alone. She rushed forward.

'M-my daughter! Where is she?' She asked. The two pushed past her without even the slightest sound. The silence was enough. She fell to her knees, 'Leanne…No. My Leanne…'

Shadow didn't even so much as give a second glance as they left the village. Why should he, after all, he wouldn't be coming back here again.

* * *

_**A/N: I am so sorry for the wait. Thanks to playing final fantasy six a week or so back, I was motivated enough to write this. Speaking of ff6, I'm almost finished. I'm playing the GBA version. I need to go to the fanatics tower and get the relic that lets you double-cast. Get the cactur Magicite. Kill the last three dragons. Get crusader. Teach Terra, Cyan, Shadow, and Relm the last pieces of magic. Then I can take on Kefka. I hope this was any good.**_

_**1. Just so you don't have to do the math, that's about 119 in dog years**_


End file.
